Evaluation P5: Constructing the real

How does the media product represent particular social groups?

1. The media product represents villains.  It does so as it includes two villains, one of each gender, contemplating on beating a victim up to get the information they need. This may reflect real life situations, where the villain is in control of an innocent person.

2. It also represents couples.  The man who is kept hostage at the beginning of the sequence is worried about his girlfriends' [Ellie] safety.  He takes on numerous punches and still does not say a word on her whereabouts.  This could reflect the value of their relationship as a couple.

Who is included and excluded by the text you created?

In the written script, we have agreed on keeping most of the names secret, as it is only in the first two minutes of the film, it is unlikely that you would hear the characters' names at the start.  However, one name is mentioned, 'Ellie', said by Vinnie, the male psychotic killer; when he replies to Jamie, the male victim. 

To clear things up the characters' names are:

Vinnie [male psychotic killer/ Rose's step-brother]- played by Thomas Rivet

Rose [female psychotic killer / Vinnie's step-sister]- played by Abbey Ingram

Ellie [female victim / Jamie's girlfriend]- played by Agnes Rivet

Jamie [male victim / Ellie's boyfriend]- played by Oliver Rossetti

What form of realism have you constructed, and why?

In the second scene, when Jamie wakes up, we see his work clothes on the back of the door, this tells the audience that it is the morning and that he is leaving his bedroom to get some breakfast downstairs, to then return to his room afterwards to get changed and go to work.  Moreover, the radio playing over his journey through the house makes it more realistic, as most people listen to the radio in the morning. The interrogation scene is less likely, therefore there is no realism in that part of the sequence.

Evaluation P4: Making Meaning

In filming and editing, how did you ensure that the meaning would be apparent to the audience?

1. In the filming stage, we were making sure the mise-en-scene was ideal for the situation.  For example, in the interrogation scene, we filmed in my room, a rather enclosed area [the lamp on the desk was the only light being used on the set] that was appropriate for this scene.  Moreover, in the editing stage, Oliver and I decided to desaturate the colours in the scene as it was set in the future. It also gave the scene a much more dramatic. We also added a home-made soundtrack, generated using the GarageBand program on the MACs which would correctly set the pace of the story.  With all these edited aspects put together, we suspect that it would stimulate an audience expecting a thriller film.

Is there a variety of possible interpretations of your opening sequence that will depend on the cultural situations of the viewer?

I am attempting to think of a possible other interpretation of our opening sequence, but I cannot think of any. I believe this sequence will be understood by everyone, no matter what your cultural situation is.  However, I shall continue to think about this possible variety of interprations.

Evaluation P3: Creative Tools

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

1. The usage of the video camera, for the filming: I personally wasnt in charge of the cinematography in my group, but Harry Read, my colleague in charge explained to me the different features it has, from zoom to SFX.  However, the editing is best done on a software that was purposely made for these video cameras.  

2. The MACs are ideal for this task. With a program called iMovieHD, we can cut out the outtakes, add in some new tracks to set the mood and transitions to ease the continuity of the story.  My colleague, Oliver Rossetti was in charge of the editing, so I asked him a few questions on the different features it has, including audio, titles, transitions and clips. I learnt that, by combining all these together, a realistic sequence can be created for a specific audience [in our case, the genre was thriller - and target audience was 13-4x years old]. 

How did digital technology enable you to develop creatively? 

And are there examples of the technology obstructing or preventing your creative flow?

Using the software iMovieHD, as previously mentioned, we could creatively make a scene more dramatic and suspensful.  For example, in the interrogation scene, we added a soundtrack that was made using the GarageBand program, which enabled us to generate a sound that would drain out the dialogue and intensify the actions of the villains.  We managed to create a sound with an incredible amount of drama that accurately align with the actors body language. And I do not recall being held back creatively by any kind of technnology, we put our ideas together and there was no problems in the pre-production and production whatsoever.

Evaluation P2: Professional Practice

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

A small media institution might be interested in our media product. These are various reasons why:

1. The amateur filming, acting, directing and editing might appeal to other media and maybe drama students of our age (16-17 years old) - therefore only a small cinema is needed for a showing.

2.  The storyline might be too simplistic for larger media institutions.

How did you manage your human ressources [the people involved in the production]?

My colleagues and I first thought of the number of characters needed for our production.  Afterwards we tried to find willing and appropriate actors for the filming.  I decided to ask my girlfriend, Abbey Ingram if she wanted to act as the female villain in the story. She gladly accepted the role, I, myself played the role of the male villain, acting as her step-brother and partner in psychotic crime.  

And as my sister, Agnes Rivet wants to become an actress in the future, she gladly acted as the virtual girlfriend of Oliver Rossetti [co-director and chief editor], the male victim in the story.  Finally, Harry Read [cinematographer] decided that his area of expertise was situated behind the camera.  

How did storyboarding and creating a shooting script work in practice?

The storyboard effectively helped us organise the mise-en-scene for the kitchen/interrogation scene.  We could figure out where we were suppose to stand and converse using these sheets. Furthermore, the shooting script made it easier for us to understand what scene would come after the next, making our filming less time consuming, leaving lots of time to edit it afterwards on the MACs at school.

Evaluation P1: Reworking the Familiar

In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

1. We had decided beforehand to analyse other real media products, like films, with a dramatic interrogation scene. My group and I discussed about the interrogation scene in the film Mission Impossible III with Award Winning Actor, Tom Cruise, as we believe it has regarded the several thriller conventions through the use of music [copyrighted/signed - non-diegetic], SFX [artificial sounds to increase the drama and realism of the scene - non-diegetic] and dialogue [diegetic/non-diegetic - helps the audience understand the storyline with the different characters/personalities/accents].  And with this specific scene in mind, we could imitate these conventions [dark, shadowed and derelict location].

2. Secondly, our group wanted the scene to be as realistic as possible, and even though we did not have any real weapons as such, we tried to use the second most lethal and doable weapon at our disposition, our fists.  At first we were improvising to acquire the feeling and the correct relationship with the victim [co-director and chief editor, Oliver Rossetti]. Therefore, this scene was repeated several times before a script was written.  I believe we challenge the usual production stages in a high budget film, where a script is written and given to the actors before the filming stage.  The fist fighting was thought of during the idea-making stages of the sequence, as well as, during the time on the set.  We developed this thriller convention by shooting it from different shot angles [low/high/tilt] and we stuck to the one we thought suited the situation and location best [mise-en-scene and cinematograpy analysis].

3. Finally, as a group we agreed on inserting the most dramatic scene in front of the relaxed one in the morning. This was done for two reasons: Reversed continuity and audience attention; we wanted to attract the audience, by pulling them into the storyline with a brief, yet startling start of sequence.  In the editing process, we turned the interrogation scene to black and white [B&W] as it demonstrates that it has happened in the future [therefore making the audience want to know how this man got to this stage] and it also creates a thrilling, suspensful and effective start to a film in the thriller genre.

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? 

1. I have learnt several things since the beginning of my AS media studies course, but since my first attempt with a video camera; filming our preliminary task, the element I have used the most, was the numerous camera shots and angles; the use of these can affect the way the audience's thoughts' on the story.  For example, a close-up of a person's face can indicate what they are about to do; we know this through their facial expressions [or body language, if the frame has focused on another part of their body].

2. Secondly, the continuity. The lack of continuity can affect the film greatly, if edited inaccurately the storyline would not match with the rest of the film, therefore not making much sense for the audience.

 Are there any 'intertextual' moments where you hint a reference to another film? 

Although trying to make our sequence look professional and amateur-like, we did try to create a script with a dramatic edge, with this in mind, I had analysed several scenes in Award Winning thrillers with a similar storyline; but we thought that if we wrote our script from scratch, the originality factor would have made our two minute sequence preferable to our target audience.

What kinds of audience pleasure are you tying to provide and how confident are you to have delivered on this promise? 

Our target audience are teenagers from the age of 13 to older adults [13-4x age bracket].  We believe that with the intriguing storyline, the target audience would enjoy the thrills created by amateur actors. In my own opinion, I think we have done well to deliver this feeling to them through previous experience.  

Poster Ideas - Based on previous film research

This is the poster I created using a software on my laptop, commonly known as GIMP 2.0. I chose red as the primary colour as it, in my opinion, reflects 'desires'.  I found it difficult to illustrate 'undisclosed' through an object, so I did not try and incorporate it in this design. I will also be placing it onto various types of media, like wall posters, books and even on a burnt piece of cardboard. Here they are:

Fonts Ideas to portray the thriller genre

In my opinion, this first font portrays the thriller genre very well because of the scribbles edges on the sans serif capital letters.  Moreover, the emptyness of each letter makes the overall title stand out, generating more attention to the title itself.  The large 'U' and 'D' highlights where each word starts, making it easier for the viewer to differentiate the start of each word.  However, this font does not really reflect the principal subject matter of this thriller: obsessional love and passion.

 On the other hand, this font does do so. As you can see the top of the 'U' and 'I' have a heart on the end.  As well as the 'o', which has been fully replaced by a heart.  I believe this font is representative to the subject matter of this thriller. In addition, the small flick, commonly known as 'serif' has been prolonged, this gives the illusion that a person has written it, perhaps the villains/victims wrote it? 

 Contrasting the two previous fonts, this one does not follow the approapriate guidelines for a suitable font for the chosen genre. Because it is rather big and 'bubbly' in slang terms, it does not reflect what we want to demonstrate.  I have decided to analyse this font to show you what a thriller genre font should not look like.

With these fonts, I shall ask my fellow colleagues to give me positive/negative feedback on which one we prefer and think is best for our film.  Personally, I would go for the second, as the first does not check all the boxes that would make an ideal thriller font style.

The Plot

"** There's a women (Rose - Abbey Ingram) stalking and obsessed with a happy, loving boyfriend (Jamie - Oliver Rossetti) of the one he calls "the one and only, best girlfriend he could ever wish for" (Ellie - Agnes Rivet) Things, however, start going missing and a warning note is left, consequently luring Jamie away from his happy way of life into the deepest and darkest realms of psychology and love which will tear Jamie and Ellie apart and bring them to the brink of survival; yet they yearn for each other every second of the day. (Basic plot)
Jamie follows the clues that are left and they lead him straight to Rose's flat. Her mind is slowly deteriorating and drugs Jamie to stop him running away. Then the twist is revealed, she has actually led Jamie to this house in the middle of no-where for this man (Vinnie - Thomas Rivet) who is her step-brother. He, in actual fact, wants Ellie and will stop at nothing to be with her.

In the mean time, Ellie calls the police after Jamie does not come back from work that day and then find the picture frame missing with the note, with a video of his capture following shortly after for the capture of Ellie in return for his life. The hunt is now on to find Jamie and his kidnappers before the once, happy and passionate couple, are split apart for much longer than 24 hours...the chase is on and what is to be revealed about the psychotic minds of the kidnappers may just keep you on the edge of your seat for a very long time! ( Extended Version of the plot) **

Overall ending : The police track down the location of the kidnappers through witnesses and reports. This ends with the capture of the male kidnapper while the female kidnapper takes an overdosing, dying later on in hospital. This news then gets told on national news. The couple, who are now happily reunited, see this on the news and ends with one of them making a coffee. (Stirring of the coffee, parallel to the start of the film, while fading out to introduce credits.)"

__________________________________ 

This brief synopsis was written by my colleague, Oliver Rossetti, the editor and co-director of the group.  He highlights the main happenings in the story as well as an important scene that happens at the beginning and at the end of the film.  Of course, as we had to only produce the first two minutes of this thriller, we have not included the ending of the story, therefore you could say that we are trying to acquire the audience's attention in order to make them want to watch until the end.

Sound Effects [SoundFX, SFX]

As I am the Assistant Sound Editor of my Media Studies Group.  I will inform you more about Sound Effects in general and the conventions of sound effects in Thrillers.

Thriller Sound Effect Conventions:

REPETITIVE [UNTIL A STORY-CHANGING EVENT]

ECHOING [I.E. INTO THE DISTANCE - DEPTH/SHALLOWNESS OF A ROOM] - REVERBERATING

WHISTLING WIND [I.E. THROUGH TREES]

FAINT [FADED/BLURRED/OBSCURE]

FOLLOWS THE CHARACTERS' MOVEMENTS [I.E. RUNNING AWAY FROM VILLAIN - FAST PACED] 

I found a few websites that had a great variety of sound effects, including different categories like; animals, buttons/clicks and rollovers, creatures and monsters, natural ambience, vehicles, sports & much more!

These websites allow us, Media Study students to re-create noises, that we could not necesserally make during the shooting of our opening sequence, for example, if a scream isnt heard, we can always replace it with a more professional sounding one.

Thriller Title Research

Undisclosed Desires

Is the title of our Thriller.

We chose this name because based on my research of Thriller titles, I came up with the theory that all the director's and writer's have limited their vocabulary by only one or two words with a maximum of 4 syllables.
For example:
¹Clo-²ver-³field
¹The-²Vill-³age
¹Si-²lent-³Hill
¹The-²Happ-³ening
¹The ²Stran-³gers

Along with what I had said earlier, in order to have done my title designs for the far future, I would have have to analyse other film covers in order to get the same outcome, a scared but thrilled audience after having watched our film [although it only lasts approximatelly two minutes].  My research is on the text, foreground and background of film covers.

 

The text used on the cover of a VHS Tape box or DVD case is extremely important as it mainly highlights what genre a film is.  Here are a few examples that I thought were interesting and deserved a consideration - I decided to analyse the 5 films mentioned above [for the syllable theory]:

Test at top of cover

EXAMPLE 1: Cloverfield [2008]

Sans-serif ["a sans-serif typeface is one that does not have the small features called "serifs" at the end of strokes"]

Upper Case [always used at the beginning of a sentence - (as a sign of the start of a sentence after a full stop (.)]

[Title] White on a green background Green symbolises sickness/illness and possibly disease based on how you look at it - creature attacking lively city? - denotation by the director? - however it could also be a connotation] - futhermore the Statue of Liberty blends in with its background, creating a little contrast between the different saturation levels of green, nevertheless, because this famous landmark does not have any head, it elaborates the seriousness of the raid.



Text at top of cover

EXAMPLE 2: The Village [2004]
Serif ["a serif typeface is one that has the small features called "serifs" at the end of strokes"]
Upper Case [always used at the beginning of a sentence - (as a sign of the start of a sentence after a full stop (.)]
[Title] White/Yellow on a Black background Highly contrasting, prolonged serifs are similar looking to branches [as seen in the foreground] - sunlight trying to go through slits or holes - as they would go through a wooden shed/bungalow in an isolated village?
Eclipse around night - symbolises that what might shock the viewers, happens at night, the only time in the day that vision is limited and therefore when more attacks are commited on innocent people - stereotypical view on Thrillers?


Text at top of cover


EXAMPLE 3: Silent Hill [2006]

Serif ["a serif typeface is one that has the small features called "serifs" at the end of strokes"] Exaggerated serifs - exaggerated proceedings/storyline?

Upper Case [always used at the beginning of a sentence - (as a sign of the start of a sentence after a full stop (.)]

[Title] White text with red outline on a beige background [little girls forehead] White symbolises innocence and peace [← connotation, denotation?] and red symbolises danger, love (and passion).  Danger is portrayed when on their way to Silent Hill [the town] and once in the town, the little girl leaves, the mother is so worried, that she goes to look for her, her love is too big for ther daughter

Text at bottom of cover

EXAMPLE 4: The Happening [2008]

Sans-serif ["a sans-serif typeface is one that does not have the small features called "serifs" at the end of strokes"]

Upper Case [always used at the beginning of a sentence - (as a sign of the start of a sentence after a full stop (.)]

[Title] White on a blue and black background White symbolises innocence and peace.  In this case, the peace was in the city before "the more urgent dilemma hits the planet" and the innocence of this film would revolve around the people of the world or on the other hand, where it had started, in Central Park.  Blue symbolises how cold the city must have turned after the unexplicable event had happened [or the soul of the city, slowly dying - denotation of the director?]  And the black connotates the darkness of the consecutive events that have changed the world, or it could tell us, as an audience that everything that had happened, happened in the dark.
 

Text at bottom of cover

EXAMPLE 5: The Strangers [2008] 

Serif ["a serif typeface is one that has the small features called "serifs" at the end of strokes"] Exaggerated serifs - exaggerated proceedings/storyline?

Lower Case [always used after the upper case, usually formulates a word]

White on a light brown/black background White symbolises innocence and peace.  Innocence reprensents the status of the main characters, haven't done anything wrong, standing in the wrong area at the wrong time?  Man in background [standing in the corner] observing woman's movements - ready to attack? - (white mask and black clothing - hiding their figure and idendity?) - for a reason? - do they know who they are attacking - planned attack → revenge?  Normal setting in a house, unsual event, in house - not a safe place?

Successful Shoot

We have successfully filmed and are now planning on editing it using the MACs at school.  I believe Oliver is in charge of the editing process, with the assistance of myself and Harry. 

Somerstown - Yet another film example

I have just come back from the Media Studies field trip to the Odeon Cinema in Guildford.  As a group, we went to enjoy the fairly new film called Somers Town.  This film was completed in 2008 and surprisingly took only a week to fully film and edit it. Shane Meadows was the director and Paul Fraser was the writer, as a team they put their ideas together, creating a film based on a young troubled teenager [Tomo - played by Thomas Turgoose (Known for This is England)] who has just moved from his home town in the midlands to the industrial part of London. 

After a few days on his own, he finally meets another teen his age, a Polish teen [Marek - played by Piotr Jagiello] and as he also finds himself lonely during the day (his only parent goes to work everyday - leaving him at home and in the streets), therefore a sudden connection or friendship is made.  They soon are fighting for the love of a french waitress working in a little coffee shop in town, she leaves them to go to Paris, her home town, without warning them. 

In the end, they decide to travel across the channel to surprise her.

"Somers Town" is one of the sweetest little films of any festival this year. Shane Meadows ("This Is England"), directing from a strikingly authentic Paul Fraser script, has crafted a winner with so much to like that it's hard to know where to begin.

Reference: Review from Larry-411 (from the USA)

Awards:

1 Won [London Critics Circle Film Awards] - Young British Performer of the Year [Thomas Turgoose]

4 Nominations [British Independent Film Awards] - 1. British Independent Film Award

                                                                     2. Best Actor [Thomas Turgoose]

                                                                       3. Best Director [Shane Meadows]

                                                   4. Best Screenplay [Paul Fraser]

Our [group] workforce includes..& a Thriller example

Oliver Rossetti, Harry Read Myself [Thomas Rivet].

A great group to work with indeed...

Oliver Rossetti is passionate and creative about his work and is great to work with, he takes our ideas on board and manipulates them with ease whilst at all times, concentrating on the task at hand.  He is serious, yet fun, a great combination!  And I am really glad that I have him in the group.


Harry Read, however, has got the camera man's eye, thus he can identify the best areas to frame in order to give an appropriate effect needed for the different types of genres.  He is also a friendly guy who would work his socks off to get the best achievable grades.

__________________________

We have chosen the Thriller genre.

We have done so because, it is  

a fast-moving, attention-seeking and fear-filling 

genre that teenagers [our target audience] love because of the adrenaline rush it can create. 

Here are a few Thriller conventions:

• Often take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar regions, or high seas

• The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger: law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators

• However, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident

• A thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others

• An ominous or monstrous element has become common to heighten tension. The monster could be anything, even an inferior physical force made superior only by their intellect, a supernatural entity, aliens, serial killers, or even microbes or chemical agents

Sub-types of the Thriller genre:

• Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train and David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of the type

• Drama thriller: In which the story consists of the elements of a thriller and drama film. These films are usually slower paced and involve a great deal of character development along with plot twists.

• Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster.

• Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasize action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, and double-crosses are central ingredients. Some examples include The Killing, Seven, The Godfather, Reservoir Dogs, Inside Man, and The Asphalt Jungle.

And these are only a few, there are many, many more...

Thriller Film Example - Cloverfield (2008)

Director: Matt Reeves

Writer: Drew Goddard

Plot Synopsis:

The plot revolves around a monster attack in New York, and was viewed from the point of a small group of young adults. This group of people were celebrating the new job acquired by the main character - Rob [Michael Stahl-David]. Moreover, he had an affair with another girl called Beth [Odette Yustman], whilst he was going out with Lily [Jessica Lucas], his girlfriend. He ends up insulting Beth, who then storms out. Rob's friend, Hud [T.J.Miller] was put in charge of the CamCorder. He was suppose to go around and ask Rob's friends to say a word about Rob's new job. But, he ends up trying to impress Marlena [Lizzy Caplan] instead.

As Rob tries to catch up with Beth, a huge long-legged metallic-looking monster starts attacking the Woolworth Center. Hud has this all on tape, although he is startled, he just resumes filming this unbelievable disaster on the city (see first convention - above). The small group all go downstairs, and outside to see what this "thing" is. They end up spreading out and running for their lives, as they realise, that this monster is real, and angry. The military quickly take action and try and stop it but it is too strong.
In the end, the military finds the tape and plays it back, and they realise that the monster was in the background of a usual event, where Rob was on a day out with Beth.  This, I believe, highlights that it was always there, unknown to the inhabitants...

Main Characters: 

Rob [Michael Stahl-David]

Beth [Odette Yustman]

Lily [Jessica Lucas]

Hud [T.J.Miller]

Marlena [Lizzy Caplan]

In this adventurous film, these characters are now drowning in fear, whilst at the same time rushing underground through the New York Metro, but they do not realise that it isnt safe down there, its actually more dangerous than over ground as they are trapped in complete darkness.  These characters seem to all have a bond, and I believe this is why most of them survive during and after the attack.  Their teamwork and will to live, gives them enough adrenaline to save themselves from death.  Of course, this isnt just a thriller, you could also associate it with the "Romance" genre aswell.  Rob, is planning where they should go next, but as always they will have to face obstacles on the way.  In this case, Rob is trying to find Beth.  The woman who was having an affair with him.  She ran out of the building, and since then, Rob has not seen her.  A little bit of suspense, don't you think?  He keeps telling his friends that he has to find her to reconfort her about the whole situation.  But, of course the situation is a little worse than this, Rob and his friends have to fight-off small creatures [the babies of the mother-monster] and climb an "atleast 50 story" [in my opinion] building flat in the centre of New York.  Where the mother-monster was originally.  She does move around but a few of its footsteps are equivalent to several minutes of driving, therefore, she is hard to catch up and destroy.


Rob [Michael Stahl-David], the main character of this Thriller has already worked in this type of genre.  He had a part in the American television series, "Numb3rs", which was released in 2005.  Although he only played in 1 episode, he could have used his experience from this television series for his main role in "Cloverfield".

Beth [Odette Yustman], one of the main characters also had experience in this genre, one year before this film was made, she played in the Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller film, "Transformers".  Her role was to be a socialite.  Even though this role doesnt include her in the action, she must have understood a little more about this genre.  Therefore, she would comprehend how to act to suit this part.


Lily [Jessica Lucas], was also one of the the most important roles in this Thriller genre film.  Jessica played as Ronnie Lake in 4 episodes of C.S.I. back in 2007.  One year before they started the making of "Cloverfield".  As her experience is fresh in her mind from her previous role as Ronnie, she could really enlighten all the other "amateur" actors who have smaller roles in this film.  Whilst learning more and more as she goes through with the filming of this Thriller.

Hud [T.J.Miller], is the only actor yet, that does not have any experience with this genre but I personally think he suited the part well.  With a huge amount of comedy acting experience, he really could develop a contrast between characters in this Thriller.  As previously said in the synopsis, although he was scared out of his mind, with the video camera in hand, he still pulled out a few jokes, like this one:

  

Hud: Okay, just to be clear here, our options are: die here, die in the tunnels, or die in the streets. That pretty much it?
Rob Hawkins: Yeah... that's pretty much it. 

 Marlena [Lizzy Caplan], a very talented actress has played in several other films but the one of the Thriller oriented television series she was in is called "Tru Calling", a Thriller series made back in 2003. She played in 4 of the episodes as Avery Bishop.  Like the other actor's and actress's, she used her Thriller knowledge and represented the best of her abilities in this well-known "Cloverfield" film.

Themes and Values:

From the cover of the DVD and posters I had seen, and the fact that this film is a Thriller, the themes and values that I would expect to see include:  destruction, survival, love, friendship [and many more sub-themes and values].

DESTRUCTION: 

As the DVD cover has a headless Statue of Liberty in its frontplan, the first thing that comes to mind is "theres been an attack here".  And if you look in the background, the skyscrapers and buildings on the island of Manhattan, are either being engulfed in fire or collapsing to the ground.  An artificial threat has caused this.  An extra-terrestrial being caused this, maybe?

SURVIVAL: 

This can only be said and explained if you read the brief summary or the synopsis of the story, but still.  I believe it is the most important theme of them all.  Thrillers usually have this.  This creates an "sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat" vibe.  Continuously making you feel safe but at the same time in danger.  A great feeling. And I personally think it represents the first step of audience fear.

LOVE:  

Once again, this can only be understood and explained if you read the summary or synopsis.  The story wanders around Rob looking for Beth.  He just wants to say "I love you" to her, and in oder to do this, he must fight until he finds her.  Here is a quote, that highlights my previous point: 

Rob Hawkins: Look at me! Look at me! Look at me. I love you!
Beth McIntyre: I love you!

FRIENDSHIP:
This group of friends were partying in the opening scene, congratulating Rob for getting promoted to a new job.  Staying together from the start to finish, I really believe that this is friendship.  Rob, helping his friends get through this with ease.  He is the one with the ambition, therefore, if he wants to get what he wants, Beth, he must "take the bull by the horns" and think ahead.  He's a natural leader [theme - leadership]. 

Locations: 
Most of the Thrillers I have watched, happen in deserted areas, ghost towns or derelict buildings.  But, this film defeats this, it is happening in a wide-open space, New York City.  Very unusual for this genre of film but if attacked by another lifeform, I don't think it really makes a difference.


Heres is a list of the locations in which this film was filmed in:

Bloomingdale's Department Store, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Downey Studios - 12214 Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, California, USA (studio)

Los Angeles, California, USA

New York City, New York, USA

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (studio)

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA (subway station set)

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA (studio)

Westfield Santa Anita Shopping Center - 400 South Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California, USA

Warner Bros. [The Film Industry] and The Dark Knight [Example]

Warner Bros. [formal corporate name: Warner Brothers] is a producer of film and television entertainment.  It was first founded in 1918 by Jewish Immigrants from Poland.  Moreover, it is the third-oldest American movie studio in continuous operation, after Paramount Pictures, founded in 1912 as Famous Players, and Universal Studios, also founded in 1912. Some of its most notable actors include James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Doris Day and more recently, Clint Eastwood.

 Reknown for producing a hit-show like Friends, we are wondering what show might be created next!  Friends was such a great show and we are all sad that it had to come to an end, hopefully Warner Bros. will be making something fresh and enjoyable in the years to come.

I tried to find the website for Warner Bros. and I succeeded.  The website homepage is well-categorised into 7 categories, including Movies, Video Games and Television.  This could tell us a lot about how the company is doing, I believe it also demonstrates how organised and understanding the business is towards their fans.  The Warner Bros. homepage can be found at http://www.warnerbros.com/main/homepage.html .

To give you a greater idea of how "grand" this company is, here are a few impressive facts about the Warner Brothers studios and company:
- The company was founded by four brothers, Harry, Albert, Samuel, and Jack Warner, who were the sons of Benjamin Eichelbaum, an immigrant Polish cobbler and peddler
-  In 1972, Warner Communications and Columbia Pictures joined together to create and form a single facility called The Burbank Studios.
- Warner Bros. created the Looney Toons
- Movies produced by them include:  The Matrix, Harry Potter and Ocean 11
- The Studio was originally built on a plot of farmland in 1926
- Warner Bros. Studios maintains one of the largest collections of period and contemporary costumes for film, television, theater and commercial productions.
- Warner Bros. Studio Facilities has a total of 35 Sound Stages.
- There are two principal structures on the lot, Stage 16 and the Mill Building, and one exterior set, Midwest Street, stage 16 is the largest on the lot.

The Dark Knight [2008]
Director: Christopher Nolan [& Jonathan Nolan] (Screenplay)

Short summary: "Batman raises the stakes in his bourgeois war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker."

[Summary taken from imdb.com]

[Click Image To Enlarge]

As an example of Warner Brothers' dedication, "The Dark Knight" was a big-hit in box office terms.  Warner Bros. have done well to advertise it further after its release on the 24th of July 2008.  The website for this film can be found in the "Movies" category on the homepage of Warner Bros.  After clicking the link to the website.  Your should see thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/dvdsite/ in the adress bar at the top of your screen.
The film's homepage should look like this:

 [Click Image To Enlarge]

As you can see the homepage perfectly suits the film with its perspective view of skyscrapers, moreover it is an interactive page, joker cards slowly fall down towards you, giving it a 3d look.  Very eye-catching indeed.
However, there is much more about this that I find fascinating; there is a "Menu" button that rises necessary text, like "About the DVD - Blu-Ray", "Cast and Crew" and "Photo Gallery".  I believe it is a great website for Batman fans or new "amateur" viewers that just want to know a bit more about the film.  This webpage does have 1 visible flaw; as it is interactive, it takes time to load, in which case, "low signal" computers will have trouble opening and closing this webpage.

To conclude, the Batman logo stands right in the centre bottom of the page, with the title of the film under it.  I personally love this webpage because of its interesting layout and "professional" vibe.

Connotation, Denotation and Signifiers [as well as preferred and oppositional reading] & a film example: Psycho (1960)

This lesson was all about, as said above, connotation, denotation and signifiers.

A connotation is - an implied of suggested idea (can also be a personal interpretation -        individual differences - and it could also mean what we are seeing).

e.g. rose → love OR rose → danger/passion [based on past memories of an individual]

However, a denotation is - an intended meaning evoked by the director for the audience (basic interpresation).

e.g. Knife → cutting vegetables/fruits etc

 ↓

Death [possible weapon] - in gloomy, dark

"mise-en-scene" so audience knows what is

coming - only if knife has had a close up

Preferred reading - when the producers'/directors' connotation are seen through the audience's eye's

Oppositional reading -  connotations producer did not intend to make

e.g. McDonald's advert:  

Preferred Reading.: "I want one of those"

Oppositional reading.: "It looks fatty and unhealthy"

______________________________

Psycho (1960)

  
SIGNIFIERS:

1. The money in the enveloppe [great amount to fill enveloppe? Stolen money?]

2. Guilty about the money [second thoughts?]

3. Leaving with money [escape from problem?]

4. Villain wants money, tried to get it [character now in danger?]

5. Shower is an isolated place, no escape?

- The derelict house on the hill → pathetic fallacy [bad environment-bad event to come]

- Music is repetitive until murder [change in rhythm and speed]

Preliminary Task Evaluation

The USB

OUR PRELIMINARY TASK PIECE

This task was basically used to identify our present skills and interests. And wether we prefered being in front or behind the Video Camera.  Moreover, we had to prepare a storyboard to make the "making of" much easier.
  
Our filming techniques involved what we had learnt in the previous lessons.  For example: "Two shot", "Long shot" or "Close up".

However, we learnt many other techniques of which I did't know about until then.  Like "Match on Action", "Shot Reverse Shot" and the "180 Degree Rule Shot".

Our short clip was just about a man asking for his USB stick back in order to use it later.  The script wasn't written as we thought improvising would suit this task much better.

I thought we had done well as it was our first, and therefore "amateur" clip.

Camera Shot Types

To facilitate my learning, I listed all the camera shot types we have learnt in class below:

Extreme close-up (ECU) - this shows only part of the head, the area from the lips to the eyes, and is often used for highly emotional shots to increase dramatic effect

Medium close-up (MCU) - Close shot cutting just below the armpits

Close-up (CU) - used to show extreme detail or facial expressions. A character is framed from just beneath the shoulders with space left above the head. This shot is effective for showing an audience a character's emotions and reactions because it focuses their concentration on only one thing on the screen.

Medium [Long] shot (MS) - shows a character from the knees to waist or a full length seated figure. Most effective for showing the interplay between two characters and bridging the gap between a wide shot and a close up. [This shot can be adjusted to a medium long shot or a medium close up.]

Long shot (LS) - shows a character at a distance, spanning their whole height but leaving an area above and below them. This focuses the audience's attention on the character and their surroundings.

Other types:

Wide shot (WS) - used as the establishing shot as it is often included at the start of a scene to display the location where the action takes place [image to be added later]

Point of view (POV) shot [can also be associated to an over shoulder shot]- 
seen from the character's point of view

Two shot - a shot with two characters in it

 High Shot - shot used to make a character look "grand" or more powerful than the other characters in a film

Low Shot - opposite of the high shot, used to make a character look weaker or less valuable in a film [image to be added later]

Exterior (EXT) - outdoor shooting [image to be added later]

Interior (INT) - indoor shooting [image to be added later]